ὑπόθεσις

Forms

ῠ̔πόθεσῐς (hupóthesis) f (genitive ῠ̔ποθέσεως); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is an action noun formed from Ancient Greek ὑποτίθημι (hupotíthēmi, “to place under; to propose, suggest”) + -σις (-sis).^[1][2][3] It is thus the noun θέσις (thésis, “a placing”) with the prefix ὑπό (hupó, “under”), literally “a placing under”, hence “base, foundation”.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in Attic prose of the late 5th and 4th centuries BC: Xenophon and Plato use it of a proposal or a proposed course of action, Isocrates and Xenophon of the subject put forward for a speech or discussion, and Plato of an assumption from which a philosophical argument starts.^[2][3][5]

Semantic evolution

The basic idea is something set down beneath another thing as its basis.^[3][4] Plato, Demosthenes and Aristotle use it of the principle behind laws, a constitution or a policy, and Demosthenes also of the basis of a claim to property.^[3] In logic and mathematics Aristotle uses it of a premise or presupposition, and the Platonic sense “hypothesis” became a technical term of philosophy.^[3][2]

In Hellenistic and later prose the meanings spread: Polybius uses it of a suggestion or piece of advice and of a person's origin or station in life, from which someone rose.^[2][3] Plutarch of a purpose, a pretext for war, the role an actor plays, and the condition of an empire.^[2][3] Lucian of a practical problem to be solved.^[2][3] In the Septuagint, in 4 Maccabees, it means a general theory or doctrine.^[6]

Modern Greek has it as the learned word υπόθεση (ypóthesi), “hypothesis, assumption”, and also “affair, matter, case”, a sense that goes back to Hellenistic Greek.^[7] Through French and Late Latin it gave English hypothesis, first recorded in the 1590s.^[4]

Timeline

• 5th–4th century BC – Xenophon and Plato use it of a proposal, and Plato of the assumption on which an argument rests.^[2][3]
• 5th–4th century BC – Isocrates uses it of the subject of a speech.^[2][3]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it of a premise in a syllogism and a presupposition in mathematics, and Demosthenes of the basis of a claim.^[3]
• 2nd century BC – Polybius uses it of advice and of a person's station in life.^[2][3]
• 1st–2nd century AD – Plutarch uses it of a purpose, a pretext for war and an actor's role.^[2][3]
• 2nd century AD – Lucian uses it of a practical problem, such as building a bath.^[2]
• 1590s – English borrows it as hypothesis, through French and Late Latin.^[4]
• Modern Greek – The learned υπόθεση (ypóthesi) means a hypothesis, and also an affair or case.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A basis or foundation set under something: the basis of a claim; the principle behind laws or a constitution.^[3]
2. A proposal, a proposed course of action; an intention or policy.^[2][3]
3. A suggestion, a piece of advice.^[2]
4. A purpose; an occasion or pretext.^[2][3]
5. The subject proposed for a speech, a discussion or a deliberation.^[2][3]
6. (philosophy, logic, mathematics) An assumption, a hypothesis; a premise or presupposition.^[3][2]
7. The role taken by an actor.^[2][3]
8. A person's origin or station in life; an occupation.^[2][3]
9. A practical problem.^[2]
10. (Septuagint) A general theory or doctrine.^[6]

Word family

• ὑποθετικός (hupothetikós)

Related words

• ὑποτίθημι (hupotíthēmi)
• θέσις (thésis)
• σύνθεσις (súnthesis)
• English hypothesis

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
4. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
6. ^ a b Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
7. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki